Chapter 50: Entering the Dream
The kill order for Bai had spread throughout Solor, the wanted poster depicting a beautiful, yet sinister, black-haired girl.
But even in the image, her deep, black eyes were unsettling.
Most of the forces who had fought against the Abyssal Demon Realm recognized the Shadow Demons. Their unique abilities made them excellent spies, and most demon legions employed a few—except for the Vampire Knights.
But no one had ever encountered a Shadow Demon who exuded such a profound sense of terror.
And so, after a series of deductions, they had concluded that the black-haired girl in the image was the Shadow Demon Commander, “Isabelle.”
As for the other girl in her arms, judging by her appearance, she was likely her daughter, or perhaps a younger sister, a detail noted in the report.
At the same time, Bai, with the unconscious Isabelle, had left the Bewildering Forest, crossing the border into the Savage Lands, and had taken refuge in a plundered beastkin village.
The village, destroyed by the retreating demon legions, was deserted.
Bai found a relatively intact house, cleaned it up, and placed Isabelle on the bed, then sat down beside her.
“The news must have spread by now…” she said, looking out at the endless desert.
She knew her identity would be revealed eventually. Isabelle had just accelerated the process.
She hadn’t planned on leaving so soon. She had wanted to stay, to learn about magic circles, to use the sacred artifact fragments to try and summon Ara back from the void.
But now, that plan would have to be put on hold.
“But it wasn’t a complete loss,” she said, pulling out the books Norma had given her. Before she met Eleanor and the sacred artifact fragments again, she would be prepared.
And meeting Isabelle again hadn’t been entirely bad.
At least… she had reawakened a demonic bloodline, which was better than her previous, awkward situation.
The Dream Demon bloodline didn’t suit her. She was a close-combat fighter, and the Dream Demon’s abilities were more… unconventional.
The Shadow Demon bloodline, though also not ideal for close combat, was still an improvement.
“It seems… to reawaken my other bloodlines, and the silver light, I’ll have to encounter the corresponding demons.”
She looked at the purplish-black horizon and sighed.
She would have to go to the Abyssal Demon Realm eventually, but not now.
Without the silver light, she couldn’t use her [Word of Command] Authority, her most powerful asset.
She looked down at Isabelle, at her furrowed brow, and suddenly had an idea. She wanted to see what she was dreaming.
She could switch between her Shadow Demon and Dream Demon forms at will. And since her Shadow Demon form was now wanted, she could disguise herself as a beastkin with her Dream Demon form.
With that thought, she activated her soul vision, touching the pink light, and her pink beast ears and fluffy tail reappeared.
But… this time, there wasn’t just one tail. There were three.
“Hmm?”
She stared at the three large, fluffy tails swaying behind her, stunned.
“What… what’s going on?”
This wasn’t what the information had said…
According to the Dream Demon dossier, each awakening was difficult, requiring a long accumulation of dream energy to gain a new ability, a new tail.
But now, she had just reawakened a previously acquired bloodline, and she had gained two more tails?
“…Well, it’s a good thing, I guess.”
She didn’t dwell on it, instead taking hold of the two new tails, feeling the power within.
“No new abilities? Just two more skill slots?” she muttered, a new term she had learned from Eleanor’s novels.
But it wasn’t a bad thing. There were still a few Dream Demon abilities she wanted, and it was better than getting a random, useless one.
“Hmm… I’ll enter Isabelle’s dream first. I’ve never tried invading a dream before,” she decided, approaching Isabelle.
But then she paused. “Wait, how do I invade a dream?”
A Dream Demon who didn’t know how to invade a dream… only Bai.
She scratched her head, then tentatively touched Isabelle with her tail.
The fluffy tail brushed against Isabelle’s face, but there was no reaction.
She then touched Isabelle’s hair, but still nothing.
“…What should I do?”
She frowned, then remembered her first encounter with Isabelle, their first “intimate” contact, when she had pressed her forehead against her lips.
“Should I try…?”
Why did she suddenly feel a pang of guilt towards Ara?
But it was just a physical touch. It didn’t mean anything.
She leaned over, gently pressing her forehead against Isabelle’s lips.
As if sensing something, Isabelle’s furrowed brow relaxed.
In a hazy dream, she saw a girl, in a dark corner, her eyes opening, a forgotten memory…
“…Bai?”
It worked.
A flash of pink light, and Bai’s form dissolved, her dream body entering Isabelle’s dream.
The reason this had worked was that it had triggered Isabelle’s subconscious trust and familiarity with Bai.
A Dream Demon, without a specific ability like Dream Sending, couldn’t freely enter another’s dream.
The target had to be completely relaxed, trusting, their defenses down.
Isabelle, even in her unconscious state, was still a demon commander, her mind on high alert. That’s why Bai’s earlier attempts had failed.
Only this specific gesture, a memory so deeply ingrained, could bypass her defenses.
Of course, with Ara, she probably could have just touched her hand.
But Bai didn’t know this. Her last thought, before being pulled into the dream, was a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.
“This is strange. Why do I have to do this to enter a dream? Dream Demons are so weird…”
